Forgive Me
by DemonFang
Summary: Ritsuka has something of Soubis, what happens when he goes to his house to give it back? PLeeeeeeeeeeeeease ReadXReview! SoubiXRitsukaX3
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The path he took to Ritsuka's school was already imprinted in his head, the path that lead him to his sacrifice. Soubi placed his hands in his pockets and continued walking, a smile visible in his face.

"Ritsuka-kun! Wait for me!" yelled Yuiko as she ran faster to catch up with a very anxious Ritsuka.

"Ritsuka-kun, you seem happy today"

"Hm?" Ritsuka stared at her, it seemed he had not heard her approach. Happy? Him, happy? Well, perhaps he was.

Ritsuka looked away and smiled inwardly to himself as he remembered the promise Soubi had made. They were going to go out on a date today. Finally, there was nothing stopping them. Soubi didn't have to be at school, Ritsuka had nothing to do and, best of all, there hadn't been any fighters around to butt in. Today was going to be great and he couldn't wait for it to start. However, he had to admit that he was nervous.

" --and then we can go get ice cream!…Ritsuka-kun?….Ritsuka-kun?" Yuiko stared at him, a little disappointed that he hadn't been paying the slightest bit of attention to her whole plan for the two of them.

"I- what?"

Yuiko sighed "Like I was saying, today we can head over to the--SOUBI-KUN!" Whatever she was about to say got interrupted as Soubi finally showed up in front of the school, where he always waited for Ritsuka.

"Ah, Yuiko-san" Soubi smiled, but his eyes were focused only on Ritsuka. This made Ritsuka blush slightly as he headed over to him.

"Yuiko, sorry, I can't walk home with you today, I have some things to do"

"But I thought that --"

Soubi stared at her and then at Ritsuka and smiled. "Yuiko-san, maybe we'll do something some other day ne?"

Yuiko looked sadly at the ground and then up at Soubi, her expression now filled with happiness. "Promise?"

"Hai"

"Okay. I'll see you too later. Ja-ne!" And with that, Yuiko ran the opposite direction towards home.

Ritsuka, meanwhile was hoping that he hadn't hut Yuiko's feelings. When he finally came back to reality, the silence was absolute. Soubi was looking down at him, a smile on his face. Ritsuka on the other hand looked back and blushed again. He didn't know what to say but that didn't matter, Soubi had grabbed his hand and they were now walking away.

After a couple of moments of silence Ritsuka finally spoke.

"Are you sure you have no plans? Homework?"

Soubi smiled

"No, I do have to do an assignment but that's not due until next week"

"Oh? What do you have to do?"

"A portrait"

"Oh…"

"I would like it to be a portrait of you"

Ritsuka stopped for a moment while Soubi kept walking. He wanted him to be in the portrait? And then Ritsuka remembered what Soubi had told him that day in Yuiko's house;

'_I'll draw you sometime'_

Ritsuka caught up with Soubi but didn't say anything. Soubi seemed to realize this and looked down on him.

"Your answer?"

"…it's fine"

Soubi smiled again and continued walking. Ritsuka had no choice but to follow. After all, it was Soubi who was taking him somewhere. After about five minutes, they were there. Ritsuka's eyes widened. They were in some kind of park or something, but it was like nothing he had ever seen before. There was a bunch of butterflies flying around. He seemed to be absorbed into this, for he let go of Soubi's hand and stepped closer to have a better look.

The huge trees covered most of the ground below, where squirrels and rabbits ran around and ate, there was a particular tree shaped like a 'b' that overlooked a small pond. The sun's rays were beautifully camouflaged with the surroundings. A small, beeping sound distracted him, and he looked down, the light on his cell phone was blinking….red. He opened it and sure enough, it was from Soubi. It read:

_Like the view?_

The message was so plain and simple…but then he realized why, he had paid no attention to Soubi what so ever since he got there, he was looking at everything so intently. Footsteps were heard close behind him followed by a whisper from Soubi. His lips were so close to Ritsuka's ear, it made him shiver.

"I love you, Ritsuka"

Ritsuka turned around and was face to face with Soubi, they were a little too close…much too close. Ritsuka didn't seem to be able to move, he was rooted at the spot, his eyes staring at the blond's blue eyes and suddenly, everything seemed to vanish as their lips met followed by a long, wanted kiss.

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There was a knock, followed by two others, and then the door busted open. A very happy Kio stood there looking everywhere inside.

"Sou-chan! I'm here!….Are?(1)"

Kio inspected the apartment slowly, sure enough there seemed to be no trace of Soubi. He sighed and sat on the bed looking around. At the far corner of the room stood a blank canvas.

"Oh? Sou-chan has another assignment?"

Kio smirked and headed over to it, expecting to find something drawn, there was nothing but a piece of paper;

_Due Date- August 1st_

_Portrait- Human, male or female_

_Worth 60 of final grade_

Kio read the paper again and stared at it in amazement. August 1st was tomorrow. How was Soubi going to finish this thing if he hadn't even started and he wasn't home. He grabbed his cell phone.

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Soubi and Ritsuka walked down the street towards Ritsuka's house. The day had indeed been great, even when Soubi had carried Ritsuka and jumped into the lake with him. Ritsuka was now wearing Soubi's coat, which was large on him, but kept him warm.

"Arigatou "

This took Ritsuka by surprise, why was Soubi thanking him? It should be the other way around.

"Soubi, I-"

Soubi placed a slender finger against Ritsuka's lips and smiled "Oyasumi (2)"

He began to walk away and Ritsuka just stared after him, dumbfounded. He looked around and was surprised to see he was already standing in front of his house. He smiled and got in. Avoiding any contact with his mother, he headed to his room and locked the door. There was no way he could go to sleep right now. He sighed happily and threw himself on his bed.

"Ow!"

He landed on top of what seemed to be a small, hard object and it was….vibrating? He stood up and looked all over the bed, he was no longer 'feeling' it…and there was no bumps on the bed…he sat down and jumped up again. In the coat! Something in the coat! He reached into the pocket and finally found the thing. It was Soubi's cell phone.

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Soubi reached into his pant's pocket and took out his keys. He turned the knob and walked in the dark room. There was something different about it, or something wrong about it…he examined the room closer and just as he flicked the light switch, a figure jumped on him.

"SOU-CHAN! Where have you been? I was so worried!"

"Kio…don't scare me like that. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Came over" Kio answered with a mischievous grin.

"I see that. Anyway, go home, I'm tired and I want to go to bed"

"Oh? Can I go to bed too?" he asked with a smirk. He looked straight into Soubi's eyes, his mischievous expression was then replaced by an alarmed one.

"Tonikaku(3) Sou-chan what are you thinking? Leaving an assignment blank when its due date's coming up soon!"

Soubi's eyebrows came together in a confused look. It took him a while to get what he was talking about.

"Oh, that. Don't worry about it I have it all figured out"

"Oh is that so? And tell me, who and when are you going to paint it?"

"I'm painting Ritsuka and it's going to be sometime this week if you must know"

"EHHHHH? Ano GAKI(4)? Why Sou-chan, when you have me here, always"

Soubi sighed "Kio…"

"But, that can't be, sometime this week? The assignment is due tomorrow you know"

"…what!"

"yea, I read it" Kio responded, crossing his arms and signaling towards the paper.

Soubi stared at him before walking towards the paper. His eyes widened. It _was_ tomorrow. What was he going to do? He would have to start on it now if he wanted to finish it in time, and that meant there was no time to sleep tonight. But there was another problem, he couldn't call Ritsuka over here now. It was already 11 pm and he had a curfew. With all this information hitting him like a bullet, Soubi sat on his bed, his head against his hands, thinking.

Kio took a little while to figure it all out and when he did, the smirk on his face would just **not** go away.

"Oh, Sou-chan…..I can be your model"

Soubi looked up at him in disbelief. He couldn't…he just….but then again, he had no time to waste and Kio was the only person besides himself currently in the room. He sighed again, his face looking dangerously calm.

"Fine, hurry up, I need to start"

Kio remained smirking. "Whatever you say, Sou-chan"

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Ritsuka slipped into some comfortable baggy pants and a lose t-shirt and headed out, Soubi's coat and cell phone at hand. He smiled, holding Soubi's coat tightly against his chest. He felt so happy, the day had been great and now he had snuck out without his mother noticing. There was no way, he thought, that Soubi could live without his cell phone. How else were they suppose to keep in touch when they were doing their own thing? Ritsuka was excited to be going to Soubi's and he was happy he would see him again and be alone with him again.

Ritsuka looked up at the sky and began to quicken his pace, it was beginning to rain. It didn't matter, he could already see the steps leading to Soubi's apartment. He smiled.

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Grabbing the necessary materials, Soubi began to place everything in the corner of the room where the blank assignment stood. He placed a stool close to the window where he could overlook the couch, the empty couch, Kio seemed to be taking a little longer than necessary. The atmosphere in the room was hot, the air conditioning seemed to be busted so Soubi removed his shirt and went back to sit down and wait for Kio hoping to get everything over with as quickly as possible.

There was something bothering Soubi, he knew he shouldn't be doing this, not Kio anyway. He had a bad feeling about all of this. He sighed and looked up, away from the canvas and there he was. Kio's naked figure was laying down sideways on the couch, facing Soubi and smirking. For a moment, Soubi just stared at him. He had to admit that Kio's figure was unique, his light skin seemed to glow in the dark, every-part-of-his-body.

Kio, realizing that Soubi was staring at him, smirked again, his expression seemed to reflect some kind of triumph, like if he had won a humongous prize. Soubi looked at Kio's face and his mind came back to reality. He looked away and walked towards his bed, removing a large blanket. He then walked back and placed in on the bottom half of Kio's body to cover him up. Kio looked at the blanket, then at Soubi and frowned.

"I don't need this"

"I know, but keep it on" replied Soubi in his normal, calm voice as he walked back to the stool.

"Come on Sou-chan!" whined Kio as he threw the blanket on the ground and resumed his smirking.

Soubi glared at him. "Kio, I told you to keep it on"

"Put it back on me then" replied Kio with a venomous tone.

Soubi walked back and grabbed the fallen blanket, and after that, everything happened too fast. He slipped on part of the blanket and landed fully on top of Kio's naked body, the impact of the fall causing Soubi to place his hands out in front of him for support. Unfortunately, his hands pinned the other's hands over Kio's head and right then, a small, almost terrified voice came from somewhere in the room.

"S…Soubi…"

Soubi abruptly turned to look who it was and his eyes widened in shock as he looked at the shocked face of Ritsuka by the front door.

Ritsuka's face seemed to tremble and his lips would not move.

Soubi was just, speechless.

Kio, however, smirked and moved his bare body closer to Soubi's bare chest.

Ritsuka's involuntarily dropped Soubi's belongings and a small, silent tear rolled down his face. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to see him ever, how could he? How could he? And with his mind filled with different unexplainable emotions, he turned and ran out, not caring where he was going.

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**Author's comments**

Nya! What did you think? Please Read X Review and I'll update the next chapter! And if you review you'll get yummy cookies!

Ritsuka: you're evol

Demonfang: Wha! I'm sorry! I promise I'll make it up!

Soubi: You better...glare

Demonfang: eep!

**Translations**

(1)Are- huh?

(2)Oyasumi- Night

(3)Tonikaku- Anyway

(4) Ano Gaki- that brat


	2. Chapter 2

HI guys! I am **so **sorry for taking so long to update!$&( The beginning of this school year was tough! I've already had 2 projects (going on 3) on the first 2 weeks of school T--T.

Anyway, I'm back with chapter two! More angst! Yey!

Ritsuka . 

Soubi . 

Me: o.o…..

Hopefully you guys will like this chapter, I'm sorry it's not so long. I'll try to make chapter 3 longer J

Disclimers: Loveless does not belong to me….sadly

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Chapter 2

Soubi's mind was paused. He was trying to rewind everything that had happened. He remained staring at the nothingness that now stood in the doorway in place of Ritsuka and slowly, he managed to get up and walk towards the door stopping inches away from his coat and cell now laying on the floor. Kio's eyes were following his every move but he did not bother to say anything. Soon after coming back to his senses, Soubi grabbed his coat and cell phone and ran out without saying a word.

Kio had foreseen this coming, what else was Soubi supposed to do but follow that little brat. He wasn't that concerned about the whole thing though, after all, the kid was stubborn and it would surely take him a while to forgive Soubi…._if _he ever did forgive him. Kio remained laying on the couch, he brought the blanket up to cover himself and grinned. This….had gone better than planned.

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Why was it that everything he ever had, everyone he ever cared for vanished? Ritsuka wandered this as he continued to run until he got to a destination even he didn't know. He ran for a long time, in his mind, until his legs gave up. He ended up at a familiar place. Ritsuka looked around, trying to catch his breath at the same time. He found this difficult however, he stood there, paralyzed. His eyes looked around and Ritsuka's legs gave up completely, sending him down on the floor, his hands over his face to control the tears.

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He wasn't exactly sure how long he had been looking for Ritsuka, an hour perhaps? He had gone to all the places he could think of: his house, Yuiko's, Yayoi's, and even his teacher's house, although, he didn't dare step inside or let her see him, he didn't know what would happen if she did. Then suddenly, something in his mind clicked and he resumed his running, this time, towards the place he had been to that same day.

As he ran, his mind was having an inner argument. Did Ritsuka think….?….that he and Kio? He shook his head momentarily and slowed down as he got to his destination, this was the last place he could think of, the place were him and Ritsuka had spent some delightful hours that very same day. He walked around and looked behind every tree to see if he saw anything. He didn't have to look far, all he needed to do was listen. He could clearly hear someone crying. He stepped out from behind a tree and there he was, leaning against a tree, crying, was the unmistakable shape of Ritsuka. It broke his heart to see Ritsuka cry, he was so tempted to hold him…comfort him. He began to walk towards him with those intentions and Ritsuka would not have noticed if it wasn't for a branch Soubi stepped on . Ritsuka looked up through half blurred vision and when he saw it was Soubi, a bunch of different emotions came to him. He was happy that Soubi had come to find him, but he was upset about what had happened…not knowing what the hell he was feeling, he snapped.

"Get away! I don't want to see you! Leave!"

Soubi was not really surprised at his reaction but continued moving forward nonetheless. There was no way that he was going to leave Ritsuka thinking that he had done anything with Kio.

"Ritsuka, it wasn't what it looked like"

"Shut up!" Ritsuka's voice was beginning to break now, he looked straight at Soubi, tears rolling down his face. "How c...could you…"

Ritsuka's voice turned from a voice filled with hatred to a more hurtful tone. Soubi stepped closer, not taking his eyes off of him. Ritsuka looked so…helpless…he had never seen him so sad and he never wanted to hurt him or see him this way ever again.

"Ritsuka, I have to explain, it was _not_ what it looked like"

"Explain what, Soubi! How I caught you with someone else? How he was completely naked under you? Don't bother! I think I can put all the missing pieces together."

Soubi came to a halt. The words that came out of the other's mouth were painful to hear. He never, ever wished to hurt Ritsuka in any way. And he definitely did not have eyes for anyone _but_ him, that's for sure. He had to admit, that he didn't like Ritsuka not trusting him. He took a step forward and continued to talk, ignoring what Ritsuka had to say.

"I had an assignment for school--"

"Soubi. stop…"

"I didn't know it was due tomorrow, so I had all this things planned, including something with you--"

"….stop…"

"Kio went over and saw the paper. Apparently I had misread the date, it was due tomorrow."

"STOP"

"He offered to be the one I should paint, since I couldn't call you. You have a curfew after all-"

"STOP IT!"

Soubi hesitated, but continued. "Everything you saw was an accident, my intentions were never to hurt you. Ritsuka I--"

"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!"

Soubi's eyes widened a bit, he _hated_ him? That word seemed like a thousand needles hitting his bare skin. He stopped his walking, just a couple of steps away from Ritsuka and looked down at him. He had nothing to say. The way he was acting the words and things he was saying, just didn't seem like Ritsuka. However, looking at those eyes reassured him that this was the real thing, that it was _his_ Ritsuka that had just told him he hated him.

Ritsuka was pale, shocked at his own words. He lowered his head, tears still falling.

"Leave"

"…."

"Leave….that's an order"

Ritsuka looked up after saying this and saw no one there. Soubi, had left.

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"No, I haven't been around to hear anything about him actually."

"Oh really? Weird, you would think that he'll call once in a while after everything."

"Oh? What's this? Are you that into the little guy?"

"No, and you know I'm not. It's just that, it's fun to be around those guys once in a while"

The green haired boy sighed almost underwater. His rubber duck was floating happily on the bath tub.

"I suppose it is."

The boy at the other end of the door also sighed.

Lightning struck close by and Youji jumped slightly from the bathtub.

"It's raining pretty hard out there!" exclaimed Youji as he grabbed his rubber ducky to protect it from the invisible 'lighting' in the room.

"You know--"

_RING RING_

"Natsuo, the door!" came a yell from inside the bathroom.

The brown haired boy sighed as he heard this. How long was he going to be the door man? And _why _was it that every time the bell rang, Youji was _conveniently _taking a shower! Natsuo sighed again.

"Lucky bastard" he murmured under a grin as he walked towards the door and opened it. His mouth quickly broke into a grin. "Well well well…talk about coincidence"

Natsuo took a better look at the drenched body standing at his front door. "Hey…." He slightly leaned down to look at the person's face which was looking down. Natsuo's grin vanished and he soon found himself catching the fainting body"

"Hey….hey!….Youji, bring your ass over here, it's needed!"

Grinning, Youji stepped out from the bathroom with the towel around his waist. He was holding his rubber duck in one hand and a big smirk across his face.

"Needed? My ass? Oh my, I wonder what for…."

His smirk also vanished as he noticed Natsuo struggling to carry the person to a chair or the bed or something and he immediately ran towards them to help.

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"Yuiko-chan"

"Haaaai, Sensei?"

"Have you seen Ritsuka-kun lately?"

Yuiko's face saddened. "No, he hasn't talked to me for a while"

"Do you know why he's not coming to school?"

"No, I haven't seen him recently…"

Hitomi-sensei looked at her, her face full of worry.

"Okay, I'll go check if everything's alright"

Yuiko nodded and quietly went back to her chair.

Hitomi sensei was a bit nervous. She was sitting down in the teacher's office with the phone ready to be used. It was sitting gracefully on the table. She hesitated before looking in the book she had read so many times. The book that included Ritsuka's past academic records and practically his life's story. She grabbed the phone and slowly dialed the number.

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The dark room had no light except for a corner of the room which was were a vase stood. Its flowers were no longer colorful and filled with beauty. They were now half way down the vase, starved of water, dying. A woman's figure entered the silent room. Her footsteps were barely audible in the already silent house….too silent perhaps for when the sound of the phone ringing filled the house, the woman froze on the spot. She grabbed the vase and emptied out the flowers and the little bit of water left in it while the phone rang again…and again.

Deciding she'd rather answer the phone than having to stand the noise, the woman walked to the phone and picked up, vase still at hand.

"Hello?"

At the other end of the line, Hitomi sensei was biting her nails. How many time had she attempted to talk to Ritsuka's mother before and failed? She head the other end pick up and she immediately began biting her nails to the core./

"Yes, hi…Aoyagi-san?"

"…yes"

The womans voice made her nervous, she sounded my name is Hitomi, I'm Ritsuka's teacher"

There was a silent gasp from the other end of the line but there was no answer. Unsure of what to do, Hitomi continued.

"I was just calling to see if everything was okay"

"I don't understand…what did he do this time?"

Her voice almost sounded poisonous. Hitomi gulped and continued, her voice down a notch or two.

"Well, everyone's worried…he hasn't been in school for four days"

There was a loud crash at the other end of the line that sounded like broken glass followed by the unmistakable sound of the phone hanging up. Hitomi stared at the phone on the hand, now, more worried than before.

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Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I hope this chapter's okay! I'm sorry is short. I hope you guys enjoyed it. PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE Read and Review! You guys inspire me to keep writing! XD

Look forward to chapter 3, I'll try to update soon, after I see what you guys thought of this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm alive! I told you I was going to be back! Mwahahahahahaha XD and I'm back with chapter 3! I'm sorry again for not updating often….school has literally killed me. So please be patient with my updates nee? I'm trying my best to deal with 10 classes and writing fictions in between XD; I'll try my best to not take so long on chapter 4 but once again, I ask you to please comment on my fictions, you know you guys keep me going. I really hope you enjoy this chapter after such a long time….

Me: SO much angst! XD

Ritsuka: I can kill you right now…

Me: EEP!

Soubi: Baka…

Youji: Hey! I want to be in this more….Why am I not the main character in here? Na Natsuo…

Natsuo: Saa…..

Me: XD;; I'm trying my best guys…

PLEASE ENJOY AND COMMENT!

**Loveless Chapter 3**

Hitomi blinked, her hand was still holding the cordless phone against her ear. She wasn't sure if she should be upset from the mere fact that someone had just hung up on her, or more worried about Ritsuka from what had just happened. She had never imagined a mother being so…cold. After a few more seconds, she finally set the phone down on her desk.

Her expression was filled with mixed emotions. Of course, as a teacher, you should be concerned about your student…it is after all a teacher's job to help them in anyway…but in Ritsuka's case…everything was different. Hitomi knew what Ritsuka had gone through in his previous school and she always noticed those small cuts and bruises he'd come with in school. What made this weirder was his mother. Why, if Ritsuka was a boy that had been through serious traumas, wouldn't his own mother know where he was at? Why hadn't she gone to any of the back to school nights? Hitomi had never even seen the woman face to face.

As she continued to think about this, Hitomi became agitated. Her normally sweet complexion disappeared. Surely if she couldn't find the whereabouts of Ritsuka from his own mother, she could surely find out about him from the next person who, in her mind, was closest to him. Now….if she only knew where he lived….

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"Oi! What the hell happened to you!"

Youji's voice could easily be heard from 5 miles away. The green-haired boy wasn't too sure how to react to a situation like this. Natsuo meanwhile, carried the fainted boy to the bed.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! O--"

"Yeah, that's great Youji," interrupted Natsuo, " even if you keep talking, he can't hear you…however_, I _certainly can, so can you please keep it down, you're giving me a headache…" he replied a bit flustered while trying to examine the fainted body. Youji, was about to say something back but stopped once he saw Natsuo taking the boy's soaking shirt off. His eyebrows came together and gave Natsuo a questioning look. Natsuo, noticing Youji's expression after getting no come back, remained silent before finally speaking.

"Prepare the bath, if we don't lower his temperature soon, he'll be in big trouble."

Youji stood still, like a frozen Popsicle, not sure of what this meant…

"You mean…."

"Yes, so hurry up and help me out!"

Natsuo was beginning to get even more irritated. Youji, noticing Natsuo's mood change finally realized how bad this was.

"Should I call Soubi?"

"Not yet, I don't want him to jump into conclusions, let's just get Ritsuka stable first"

With a nod, Youji helped Natsuo carry Ritsuka to the bathtub.

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Soubi lit a cigarette and began smoking while staring at the darkening sky. He didn't know what to do…he didn't know where Ritsuka was. Even when he had told him to leave….Soubi passed by his house every night…just to make sure he was okay. But…for the past two days, Ritsuka's room has been dark.

With a sigh, Soubi continued thinking. This past few days had been miserable…

"Ritsuka…where in the world are you…?"

Soubi repeated this to himself over and over…

"Aitakatta…"(1)

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_We're sorry, the caller whom you're trying to reach does not answer, please try your call---_

"Ah come on! Sou-chan pick up already!"

Frustrated, Kyo threw his cell phone on his bed and sighed. Just how long was Soubi going to stay mad at him? He hadn't even done anything bad…he did help him out after all…Kyo sat down on his bed. If only that kid would've never showed up…everything would be different between him and Soubi. But no, that little gakI had to come ruin Kyo's almost perfect life.

_Ring Ring_

"Sou-chan!" Kyo screamed as his phone rang, he hastily dove to pick it up.

"Sou-chan, Sou-chan!"

"…."

There was no answer. Kyo however continued.

"We need to talk, that Ritsuka ki-"

"Kyo…kun?"

Kyo froze…a _girl's_ voice? Just who in the world….

"Kyo-kun? This is Yuiko"

-Ah but of course….that gakI's friend-

"Yes, Yuiko, I apologize, I thought you were-"

"Soubi-kun"

Yuiko finished the sentence for him.

"Ano ne, Kyo-kun, I was going to ask you about him. I thought you were with him…since you're best friends and all…"

Yuiko's voice sounded very depressed, Kyo had never heard her like this, she was always so…_bubbly._ Then again, he had only properly spoken to her once…

"No, I'm afraid I don't know where Soubi is at the moment…" Kyo replied, his voice now filled with frustration every time he mentioned Soubi. "We're both looking for the same person…"

"….I see. And…Ritsuka-kun? Have you seen him?"

At this, Kyo exploded.

"What! Ritsuka, Ritsuka! That's the only thing you guys care about! But you know what? No! I have not seen that little brat and I'm glad I haven't seen him. And when I do see him I hope he's laying cold on the ground having difficulty breathing OKAY!"

"Kyo--"

"You know what, I have better things to do than to be talking to you so Good Bye!"

With that, Kyo hanged up the phone. Why was that stupid kid so important to everybody! Why wasn't Soubi concerned about him for once instead of Ritsuka…even just a little bit concerned like old times… Now he felt he really needed to confront Soubi about this matter. Shutting the door behind him, Kyo headed out in the rain to look for him.

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"Ouch!"

Hitomi yelled after hitting herself with some kind of metal laying on the street. She had been out for almost an hour now, with no luck. The night was getting darker and darker and she hadn't brought a flashlight, nor an umbrella. It was raining like crazy and she didn't once think on bringing anything to help her out.

After a few minutes, she sat down on a near-by bench drenched, of course, in freezing water. She needed time to think, she was just waling aimlessly and that was certainly not going to help her with anything. She had to think more carefully. She looked around the area where she was at. This was weird, she was at the same park where Youji and Natsuo had tricked her…It sure was a scary place at night…the swings would swing with the wind, as if the park was consumed by ghosts at night.

_Crack_

"Ah!" Hitomi jumped up and looked around, there was….there was someone definitely there with her. But the problem was that she couldn't see a thing.

"Who…who's there?"

Her voice was shaky and she was trembling. She saw a branch on the floor and quickly picked it up.

"I…I have a weapon and I'm not afraid to use it…." she continued. She held the branch to her chest as if it was some kind of armor that would protect her against the most fearsome thing. Still…she got no answer.

The foot steps however, where getting closer…and closer. She began to turn in circles and, after noticing it was no use, for she could still see nothing, she stood still…listening carefully. Wait a minute…the footsteps had stopped.

She relaxed a little, almost dropping the branch on the floor while a shadow got behind her.

"Sensei"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The boy took a few steps back…wow…that woman could scream…Hitomi turned around, branch at the ready.

"…Kyo…san?"

Kyo, still a bit freaked out nodded and stepped closer.

"You know, you freaked me out a bit there….what are you doing out here all alone?"

Hitomi, now more relaxed took a big sigh. "I'm trying to look for Soubi-san"

"Sou-chan?…What gives?"

"Well, I just thought he might know where--"

"Sense-I!"

Kyo and Hitomi stopped and looked around. There was another figure moving towards them.

"Sensei? Are you okay? I heard you screaming and--"

"Yuiko-chan?" Hitomi blinked. Why was everyone out at this time in the rain?….Of course…that included herself as well.

Yuiko got closer and realized there was someone else there besides Hitomi…and it was Kyo. She said nothing. She really was embarrassed, she thought she had said something wrong over the phone. Kyo on the other hand, felt really bad for what he had done.

"Nee…I'm sorry about earlier…"

"Eh? Oh…don't worry about it, I understand…"

"I was just a little frustrated, that's all.."

"It's okay Kyo-kun"

Hitomi was looking from one person to the next without knowing what was going on. After their little chitchat finished, she finally asked.

"So, why are you two out here…alone…in the rain…with no flashlight?" her voice sounded all teacher-like. She even crossed her arms.

Kyo and Yuiko looked at her as if she was joking…

"Sensei, look who's talking…"

"ah…I guess you're right" Hitomi smiled and Kyo took over the conversation.

"so why are you guys here?"

"I'm looking for Soubi" replied both Hitomi and Yuiko together.

Kyo looked at them…."You are? I am too"

"Great!" replied Hitomi. "We'll look for him together"

"Well, I was just going to his house"

At this, both Yuiko and Hitomi stared at him and again, both started to ask questions.

"You know where he lives, Why didn't you tell me over the phone? You think he'll be home?"

Kyo forced a smile…women sure were weird.

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"Oi Ritsuka wake up!"

Natsuo poured some water on Ritsuka's face while Youji went to get some bandages. Ritsuka looked really bad. He had an enormous amount of cuts all over his body, he had an extremely high fever and his heart rate kept decreasing.

"Youji, this is bad…we need to do something"

"Well, we're trying aren't we?" he replied as he handed the bandages over to Natsuo. Natsuo got Ritsuka out of the bath and carried him over to his bed again.

"Na Youji, bring the rubbing alcohol over here and some cotton"

Youji did as told. When he got back he almost had a heart attack. Natsuo was tending a huge gap Ritsuka had on the lower part of his stomach. It didn't look good at all…it was very deep. Youji left Natsuo to take care of that while he tool care of smaller injuries.

"He's very hot, he has a very high fever…this is bad…And all the blood loss…What the hell did he do to himself?" asked Natsuo, more to himself than to anyone else.

For the nest hour or so, they continued taking care of Ritsuka's wounds. At least 60 of his body was now covered in bandages.

"Oi, help me turn him around and we'll just let him sleep some more"

Youji nodded and helped Natsuo. He placed his hands under Ritsuka's abdomen and froze, his eyes dilated.

"Natsuo….why is Ritsuka so…cold?"

Natsuo's eyes widened.

"Shit! Hurry up and call an ambulance!"

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"Kyo-kun are we almost there!"

"Yes Yuiko, we're almost there. Just a little longer"

Yuiko had no idea Soubi lived so far away…and he always had time to meet Ritsuka right after school was over. He must have to walk for a loooooooong time.

"We're here"

Yuiko looked up. Finally they were there! Now she had to remember the place for when she needed to find Soubi again. Now, she knew where it was. The three of them began to climb the stairs.

"well then, let's hope he's home" said Kyo with a faint smile.

He raised his fist towards the door and right before knocking, he heard something crash inside the house.

"Soubi! Soubi? Are you there?"

Kyo continued to yell and knock at the same time and, not even 10 seconds later, the door flew opened and Soubi rushed out.

"Soubi? Soubi where are you going?" yelled Kyo.

Hitomi looked after Soubi, her eyes concerned…

" I have,…I have never seen anyone so scared before…." At this, both Kyo and Yuiko looked at her.

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(1) Aitakatta- I miss you/I want to see you

Nee? Like it? I did it! I finally updated YESH! And guess what? MORE ANGST! XD XD Did you guys like it? Please read and review! Please please please…..

Mwahahahahahahaha already has ch.4 planned out I should really have time to update chapter 4 within 2 weeks though cause I have no school for a week XD! So please read and review and tell me what you guys though nee? Look forward to Chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

-1Chapter 4

Gomen ne Mina-san! I took way to long to update this, I had a family tragedy and I just didn't feel like writing….but I'm back X3. Hope you like the chapter! Please RXR!

What could've possible happened to Ritsuka while Soubi and him were not together? That question continued ringing into Soubi's ears as he continued running, the cold wind feeling like sharp needles as he continued. But that didn't matter, nothing mattered except getting to the only destination he had, the hospital. Soubi was worried sick. What could've possibly happened to him? Did his mother finally give him the worst beating so far? Or had he gotten in a fight at school? Or…

"Please don't let it be too late…"

Somewhere in Soubi's mind, there was that thought, maybe Ritsuka had fought with some other rival without calling Soubi. No, that couldn't be it, Soubi surely could've sensed that…or could he?

Soubi bit his lower lip in desperation, he hated not having enough information. Youji didn't have time to tell him much over the phone, he had heard a lot of ruckus in the background.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Soubi entered the hospital doors and hurried in.

"I'm looking for Aoyagi Ritsuka, where is he?"

The nurses in the front desk stared at him. Surely anyone would be in a bit of a shock if they had some tall, random guy ask for something in such a demanding tone of voice.

"Er…umm…"

"I don't have time for this!"

With that, Soubi left the front desk and began to search on his own, leaving a very baffled nurse staring after him. There were no doctors or nurses visible in Soubi's eyes, everyone he passed by seemed to him like a cold breeze passing though him, the only thing he could think about was Ritsuka.

"O..Oi!"

"…." Soubi stopped abruptly. Apparently he had bumped into some sort of inferior human being…

"Soubi!"

After hearing his name, Soubi looked down. It was Natsuo. Realizing this, Soubi's panic attack came back. He grabbed Natsuo's shoulders, almost shaking him and practically yelled.

"Were is he? What happened to him!"

Natsuo was first in a brief state of shock, but a couple of seconds afterwards, his expression was sad. He looked away.

"You know," he began "after all you've told me about him…I would have expected you to be there to protect him no matter what. He never deserved anything like this."

Soubi's eyes widened. Obviously this was bad….Natsuo had never been so serious before about a matter like this. After all, his semi-psychotic state of mind was always interested in seeing anyone in pain.

"I need to see him, where is he I-"

Natsuo had placed his hand up in the air, instructing Soubi to stop talking.

"No matter what you do, you can't see him right now."

"What do you mean I can't see him right now! Don't be stupid Natsuo, I'm not in any mood to follow any of your little games-"

"Soubi!"

Soubi surprisingly stayed quiet, although a part of him wanted to go to Ritsuka and hold him. In any case, he had to stay somewhat in control of himself, a whole staff of nurses were already looking at him funny.

"Listen to me, Ritsuka can't have any visitors, he's in very bad shape. I don't know what happened to him Soubi, but you should have looked at his body…"

"WHAT! How dare you loo-"

"Relax man, it was necessary. He has a lot of bruises and cuts…deep cuts."

Natsuo had always had some sort of liking for Ritsuka, ever since he first met the kid, but now, even if he was a bit psycho, he seemed to be extremely worried about the kid. Soubi noticed this and a faint smile appeared on his face. He knew that Ritsuka was in good hands, and if he wanted to see him well, he would have to wait.

"Who would've thought that Zero had feelings."

"…shut up."

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"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTT!"

Kio was almost hyperventilating.

"What is this! WHYYYYYYYYY! Why does Soubi run away from me? What have I dooooooooone!"

Both Yuiko and Hitomi were trying to calm him down though neither of them knew what was happening. Why was Soubi in such a hurry?

"err…," Hitomi started "what should we do now? After we came all the way here….he left…."

"NO!"

Both Hitomi and Yuiko looked at the other.

"No way I'm leaving now. What exactly does he think? That I'm his little puppy who follows him everywhere? Hmph! Give me a break!" Kio crossed and made a pouting face.

"…."

"….."

"……………………………...okay, what are you waiting for! Let's follow him!" Kio yelled.

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The air was filled with the scent of medicines, enough that it could make anyone feel sick.

_Beep….beep_

What was that noise? Was it some sort of machine?

"Hnn…"

A green-haired boy awakened from his semi-sleeping state and looked at the boy laying on the white bed.

"Ritsuka?….you awake?…….oi!"

Youji frowned, he knew he had heard something, and there was no one else in he room besides him or Ritsuka…..so that meant that Ritsuka was ignoring him! That was something that Youji hated….being ignored. He stood up and got closer to the sleeping boy.

"Oi! I know you can hear me!"

Youji poked him in an attempt to make him say something , but the effect did the opposite thing, the poking only hurt Ritsuka even more, especially since Youji was poking him on one of the biggest cuts he had. Ritsuka began to regain consciousness only because of the pain he was feeling. Even if he could hear Youji, he didn't have enough energy to say anything.

"Ritsuka, wake up!……"

Not working….

"Look! I am freakingly close to your face!"

Youji grinned at this, but then frowned….it was still not working….he sighed and sat back down placing his hand under his chin to rest his head on it. He had one last resort….

"………..Soubi's waiting outside…." he said lazily as he looked over at Ritsuka.

Sure enough, he got the response he had expected. It was like some sort of chemical reaction clicked in Ritsuka's body and his eyes flew open. Why was he here? He didn't want to see him….right?

"Ah! So he lives!" Youji replied sarcastically relieved that Ritsuka had finally opened his eyes. "You gave us quite a scare little man, I was almost worried about you."

Ritsuka remained silent compared to his mind which was on a roller coaster of thoughts. Youji was starting to get annoyed again…was he being ignored….again! He sighed and walked towards Ritsuka's bed.

"So…" Youji started.

Ritsuka, slowly turned to face Youji.

"Care to tell me the story?"

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"Hey Soubi…"

Soubi looked though his glasses at Natsuo.

"I know you're not feeling well but…" he pointed towards the Youji who had just come out of the room.

Soubi stared at him for a minute, trying to figure out what this meant….but of course! Ritsuka was finally awake! He stood up from the chair as if a crab had pinched him and headed towards Ritsuka's door. He was about to reach the door knob when Youji stopped his hand. He looked serious.

"What are you doing? I need to see him"

"No you don't."

"…what?"

"Leave him alone, he went back to sleep"

What? He had just woken up right?…..Soubi gave him a confused look…

"What did you do, slap him?"

This would've been funny for Youji…in normal circumstances. But, surprisingly, Youji's face remained the same. Soubi hadn't seen him so serious before and decided to wait for a while longer before he went in to see Ritsuka.

"Fine…" Soubi replied. "but, did he tell you anything? How is he doing, what was it that happened to him?"

"woah, calm down Soubi, we don't exactly know what happened, he just showed up at the door and collapsed." replied Natsuo.

Youji remained quiet however….

_Flashback_

"_Care to tell me the story….?" asked Youji, sitting down by Ritsuka. Ritsuka's eyes began to fill with tears, but he was too scared and tired to actually cry. Youji's usually careless face changed to a worried and concerned expression….something you didn't see from him often._

"_Naa, Youji, " began Ritsuka as a small tear rolled slowly down his cheek "what do you do when someone you love hurts you?"_

_Youji's face looked confused. Why was he asking him this sort of thing? At first he didn't know what to say but that was fine, since Ritsuka began to talk again._

"_I don't know if I can face him again…"_

"_Why not?"_

"_I've never been hurt like this."_

"_Yeah I can tell…..you got quite some bruises." replied Youji with a grin, trying to lighten up the mood._

_Ritsuka faked a smile and looked up towards the ceiling. "I never thought I would experience such pain…"_

"_Ne, you know, I might not be the friendliest guy, but if you have things to throw out, I'm here to listen." Youji almost felt weird saying this, but there was a part of him that felt glad._

"_I ran away from him….I didn't care where I went…"_

_Youji listened._

"_I couldn't take that picture of my mind….how could Soubi do that to me?" a couple of silent tears rolled down his cheek. "I ran and ran as far as I could, as far as my legs could take me, I ran. I ended up in some sort of village, more like a deserted ally way. I was so tired….I wasn't sure what I was going to do next. Then the only thing I needed happened…..Zero….."_

_Youji frowned…Zero?….why were they in that sort of place?_

"_I couldn't call Soubi…..I didn't want to see him…..I didn't want to bother him….so, I got attacked. After they saw that I was obviously nothing without a fighter, they left me there, wounded…..I still couldn't call him, I couldn't make myself call him…."_

_Youji was able to feel the pain from Ritsuka's expressions. He never knew Ritsuka could be so hurt…and this was all Soubi's fault… Youji clenched his fists._

"_I didn't know if I would be able to make it back…..the broken glass on the ground from the fight was starting to look so friendly…"_

_/end flashback_

"Hey Youji breakfast is ready!" Natsuo walked towards him with some food on a tray.

"It's morning already?" Youji asked as he took the tray from Natsuo.

"Yes, you fell asleep almost instantly after Soubi, you were staring at him a bit funny though, did anything happen between you two? If I didn't know better, it seemed you wanted to--"

"Doesn't matter, how's Ritsuka?" Youji asked, cutting Natsuo's sentence short.

"He's still sleeping….." Natsuo replied….a little concerned now at Youji's attitude…"still sleeping…"

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YESH! I'm alive! Mwahahahahahaha. Please Read and Review! Please please please! Omg, this chapter is so long……but you all deserve it! It's my little extra gift from being absent for so long.

Please tell me what you though and hope you enjoyed the chapter! What will happen next? Ooo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o who know! XD Look forward to the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

-Wave- Hi everyone, I'm baaaack! XD. First of all, I want to apologize for neglecting my stories for such a long time. There's been a lot of things going on. That, and also lack of ideas and inspiration, but I recently had surgery so I have plenty of time on the computer which means I have no excuses for not updating XD _this means_….that I promise…PROMISE that chapter 6 will be up sometime this week or next week…I like to wait for reviews first D. I hope you guys keep enjoying my stories and please RXR! I love all you guys and thank you for staying with me and reading my stories .

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Chapter 5

Youji frowned. "Still sleeping, huh…"

Well, I guess that was understandable, the kid had an extreme amount of trauma on his body. Youji yawned and stretched before standing up and heading towards the breakfast waiting for him. Another day in a hospital. Not something Youji was too fond of.

After almost finishing up most of the breakfast, Youji looked around the room and then turned at Natsuo.

"Ne, where is Soubi? Did he decide to go back to his normal life?" Youji said with a bit of cold sarcasm.

Natsuo stopped and looked at Youji while a piece of toast hung from his mouth. Youji looked at him from the corner of his eyes while taking a drink of orange juice.

"Soubi? No, he's with Ritsuka." he replied nonchalantly.

Youji almost choked as he heard this.

"What? How could you let him go in there with him!"

Youji was standing over Natsuo waving his hands like a mad man. Natsuo was taken aback from this but he, at the same time, seemed to be enjoying his behavior.

"What do you mean 'why did I let him in there'? Soubi has been waiting to see Ritsuka since he got here last night.

"Yeah, and he didn't bother to see him while he was out there getting beaten the hell out by Zero right!"

Youji didn't seem to be thinking…he was too aggravated. Natsuo stared at him, his face, serious.

"What?……Ritsuka got attacked?"

Youji stopped whatever he was doing and thinking. He realized now that he had revealed the source of Ritsuka's traumas. He sighed and took a sit on a chair next to Natsuo. I guess it was okay, for Natsuo to know.

"Yeah, he woke up yesterday while I was in there with him…"

Natsuo looked at him and made a face that told Youji to continue the story.

The green-haired kid sighed and continued.

" He woke up while I was in there and he told me what happened. That Soubi, how could he leave him alone like that? He could have died easily in the hands of Zero, and now he all of the sudden cares about Ritsuka? Where the hell was he 3 days ago when all of these happened?"

Natsuo was surprised to hear Youji say all of this.

"Youji…."

Youji was angry and trembling now, his fists clenched. Why was he getting so aggravated over something like this? Over someone he didn't _care_ about? Or was he suddenly…..

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Soubi had not been able to sleep through the whole night. He had been sitting on a chair right next to Ritsuka's bed, thinking. What, or who could've possibly hurt him so much. He had never seen anyone with such horrible wounds. It made him angry, if not frustrated that he wasn't there to help him, he wasn't there to defend him, or be with him. He would've done anything to go back in time and take away his pain. He would have done anything to change places with him and instead of seeing Ritsuka with such wounds, see them on himself. It would be better for him, mentally.

Soubi took Ritsuka's hand in his own and held it tightly.

"Ritsuka…"

He waited, and waited for some sort of sign from Ritsuka.

None came. He sighed. He shouldn't really expect Ritsuka to be responding to him right now. He was in no state to. But if there was some way, some slight sign that Ritsuka could make so Soubi would know that he was listening. Just looking at Ritsuka, the person he cared most about, laying down on a hospital bed connected to thousands of machines…it was just, too much….

"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry…"

_Ritsuka….._

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"Hello, Can I get you guys anything to drink?"

Yuiko, Kio and Hitomi-sensei all turned towards the source of noise…a waitress? They looked at her and then at each other and then out the window.

"Oh…right.." Kio finally said. "We're at a restaurant…3 waters please"

They all ignored the weird look coming from the waitress. Apparently they were too tired t even know where they were. Once the waitress left, Kio turned towards the other two. He almost screamed.

Yuiko and Hitomi's hair was messier than he'd ever seen…Of course, considering he'd only spent time with them once or twice before. Their clothes and faces were still drenched from the rain and their faces looked awful. Women really did need beauty sleep.

Yuiko looked at him funny.

"Kio-kun? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Wha?-- Oh yeah…yeah, I'm fine." he replied.

Certainly, they were not fine. They had been out the whole night following Soubi. At first, it had been hard to catch up to the tall blonde, but after they had caught up to him, they kept their distance, staying a few feet behind. They were surprised, however, when their hide-and-seek trip lead them to a hospital. They began to get worried, but they couldn't just go in there and let Soubi see he had been followed. Instead, they stayed outside and waited until Soubi got out. They waited…and waited….out in the rain, the whole night. After realizing that he was probably in there visiting someone, they decided to go to the nearest restaurant to rest up and get something to eat. And now, they were there.

"Hitomi-sensei, I'm worried." Yuiko began, looking at her teacher. Her expression wore a very melancholic look.

"Aw, Yuiko, it'll be okay, he's probably visiting a family member or something" she said, trying to console her young student.

"Ha, Soubi doesn't have relatives here…"

Hitomi looked at him with concern…no relatives?

"Then, does that mean that…th--" Yuiko began, tears starting to form. Hitomi looked at her. Did she think that…

"Oh no, no, no Yuiko-chan, don't think that…" Hitomi gave Yuiko a hug and tried to calm the girl down.

"Kio-kun, we'll be back, we're just going to"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to explain, go." Kio replied with a wave of his hand. Women sure were strange. Yuiko and Hitomi got up and left.

Kio sighed as he saw the two of them go towards the restroom. The waitress got back with the glasses of water and sat them down on the table.

"Thanks" Kio said as the door to the restaurant flew open and two figures walked in.

"No problem" the waitress replied as she headed towards the new costumers with the usual 'hi, can I get you guys anything to drink?'

The two costumers sat on the table behind Kio. He took a sip of water and tried to listen to what he could.

"So, tell me what's happening" one of them began. The other sighed and took a sip of water. "I don't know…I don't even know why I got so angry. I mean, as I heard the whole thing, I kept getting more and more irritated."

Kio took another sip of water and continued to listen.

"Listen, maybe ….just maybe you might have some _feelings_ for--"

"Don't even say that!" the other yelled.

"But then how do you explain your outburst of anger? I mean, it's not like anything like that has ever made you angry….you usually like to see people in pain. Since when did that change?"

Youji sighed and looked down at the water.

" I don't know…I don't know why I'm mad at him. I mean, he's the one that saved us and all…."

Natsuo nodded. Maybe it was wrong for Youji to be so mad at Soubi, but then again….

"Well, if you don't understand what you're feeling then you--"

"I think I like him."

"What?" Natsuo asked with such amazement that he almost spilled the water in his mouth.

"I like him. I want Soubi to go away….I like Ritsuka."

Kio smirked and, taking a final sip of the water, walked out the restaurant.

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So? did you guys like it? I hope it was okay! XD please, please RXR! I need to know if my fans are still out there reading and reviewing my fics! XD thanks again for reading! RXR


	6. Chapter 6

/Soubi…/

Ritsuka's eyes opened. He'd been asleep for most of the day again. He shifted his weight to one side to make himself comfortable. "Ah.." the shift reminded him just why he was in the hospital, his wounds were starting to hurt again now that he remember he had them.

"Itte…" he said softly, wincing from the pain. At that moment, someone walked into the room. Ritsuka couldn't do anything but stare at the person who now stood staring down at him. Words couldn't come out and Ritsuka was once again, speechless. After what seemed like an eternity of the two just staring, Ritsuka finally managed to speak.

"S-Soubi…." He finally managed to say. Soubi grabbed a chair and placed it near the bed. He sat down and stared at Ritsuka. He himself didn't exactly know what to say, or where to start for that matter. He never imagined he would be in this situation, the whole misunderstanding led to all this and now Ritsuka was in a hospital bed, wounded.

"Ritsuka… I'm so sorry Ritsuka"

Ritsuka looked away; it was hard for him to be facing Soubi after all that's happened. And now he was looking at him in this condition, helpless…vulnerable. He was, at the same time, trying to prevent himself from showing any kind of emotion. Facing Soubi right now was bringing back images of that day. He was trying to prevent himself from crying.

"Ritsuka.." Soubi called again, placing his hand on Ritsuka's warm cheek, trying to lure him to turn around and face him, but Ritsuka didn't budge.

"Ritsuka…"

"Get out of the room" Ritsuka said with a very soft tone of voice. He didn't want to crack while yelling at him to get out, it seemed like the tears were already threatening to fall. So he remained facing the opposite direction.

"Please get out of the room" he repeated.

"Ritsuka, please let me explain…"

"There's not need for that, you don't need to explain anything."

Soubi and Ritsuka both turned to see who had said that. Youji's hand was on Soubi's shoulder and he was staring straight at him as if he were touching something very valuable to Youji.

"Soubi, there' someone waiting for you outside." Youji continued, his tone of voice, blunt. Soubi stared at Youji for a moment before getting up from the chair. He walked towards the door and turned around.

"I'll come back to you Ritsuka" he said as he left the room leaving Youji and Ritsuka alone.

/Who would be looking for me now/ he asked himself as he entered the waiting room. He walked in and sighed as soon as he saw who was waiting for him.

"Kio…why are you here?" he asked, not even bothering to sit down. Kio looked up at him.

"Eh? What's this Sou-chan? You've been so cold to me lately" he said with a pout, though his usual playful nature wasn't there.

"What do you want?"

" I needed to see you to tell you something"

"Whatever it is, it can wait, Ritsuka's—wait…how did you know I was here?"

Kio smirked. "Youji called me" he lied.

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flashback

"Oi!" Kio called as the two boys walked out of the restaurant. Youji seemed upset and didn't even bother to look. Natsuo on the other hand, looked at Kio.

"You…? Aren't you Soubi's f—"

"I thought I told you I didn't want to hear that person's name again!" Youji yelled as he turned around to face Natsuo. Once he saw who Natsuo was talking to, Youji's expression turned dark, he was already pissed off at it was and now he was staring at 'his' friend.

Natsuo noticed the tension between the two and he decided to interrupt the moment. "Why are you here?" he asked Kio. Kio smirked and walked towards Youji.

"I heard …you want Ritsuka…" he said with a big smirk on his face as if he was the one controlling the situation. Youji's eyes widened for a moment before more anger completely took over him. He wasn't only mad because Kio knew about that, but also because he had been listening to their conversation.

"You little--!"

"I want Soubi…" Kio said, interrupting Youji's sentence with a grin on his face. Youji stopped short. He stared at Kio, curiosity replacing anger.

"What are you saying?"

"I think you know perfectly well what I'm saying"

Natsuo was standing behind Youji, pretending to be oddly amused with his stuffed teddy bear.

"You like Ritsuka, I like Soubi" Youji stared as Kio continued "I hate Ritsuka, you hate Soubi"

Youji began smirking now as well.

"So you propose…."

"Yes." Kio replied.

/flashback

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"I don't want him here anymore…" Ritsuka said while leaning his head against Youji's shoulder, letting his tears flow freely. Youji embraced Ritsuka, caressing his injured back.

"If that's what you want…I won't let him in here again…"

"How long have you been here? I haven't seen you around in a long time it seems."

Soubi sat down and took out his cigarette box.

"I don't know…" He took out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling the smoke "—a couple of days I suppose…" Soubi replied, staring absent-mindedly at a picture on the wall. Kio took a big breath and moved closer to Soubi.

"Soubi…"

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After Ritsuka regained his composture, he remained holding onto Youji, he seemed to him like a sort of comfort. Youji looked at him and smiled…  
"Ritsuka"

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"I understand you're worried about him, but maybe I could do something to help you out…" Kio said as he moved closer to Soubi.

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"Maybe after all this, you can come to my place until you get better.." Youji said as Ritsuka looked up at him.

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"Either way, you need a break from all this and maybe then you'll feel better." Said Kio

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"Yeah, you'll definitely feel better" finished Youji. Ritsuka looked at him and smiled, thinking nothing of this offer.

"Thank you, I'd love to."

Natsuo moved away from the door after overhearing that conversation and moved toward the waiting room.

"Maybe you're right" replied Soubi. "Only for a day or two.."

Kio smirked. "Will do."

Natsuo sighed as he heard this. "Looks like their plan's working after all…"

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Hi everyone. I know…I am very sorry for not updating. I don't think I'll put anything up again that says when I'll update, because I really can't keep track of the chapters. I have other stuff to do. But the minute I get a chance, I'll update. So, what did you guys think of this chapter? Lots going on PLEASE RXR! You guys' reviews and comments keep me going! Thanks to all of you that keep on reading my stories! -LOVE TO YOU-


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kio's smirk was glued to his face as he made his way back home. His plan had worked out better than he'd thought….much better….so much better that now he needed to plan ahead. With Soubi staying with him and all, he needed to make sure that nothing went wrong. The last thing he wanted was for Soubi to start missing Ritsuka. His eagerness to get home was obvious; he had many things to do before Soubi got there.

_Flashback_

_"Maybe you're right" replied Soubi. "Only for a day or two…"_

_Kio smirked. "Will do."_

"_But I need to talk to Ritsuka before I leave…" Soubi's expression showed visible pain. His inability to comfort Ritsuka bothered him. Ritsuka was in so much pain, and he wasn't there to make it better….even worse, he hadn't been there to protect him._

_Ritsuka….._

_Kio sighed, "Soubi, I don't think it's a good idea. The kid doesn't even want to see you, he said he h-"_

"_I have to. I can't leave him like this. He needs to know where I'll be. He will have a choice to come see me if he wishes" Soubi stood up and began to walk towards the room. Kio shook his head in disapproval but Soubi wasn't interested in what Kio thought._

_Knock_

_Youji's expression turned into a glare as Soubi came into the room followed by Natsuo. Natsuo was worried that whatever confrontation they were about to get into would affect Ritsuka. That's the last thing Ritsuka needed at the moment. Then again, Youji's temperament when angered wasn't pretty, and he wasn't about to let Youji start something in a hospital…for his sake._

_Natsuo was surprised, however, that the first to get upset wasn't Youji, but Ritsuka._

"_I told you I didn't want to see you. GET OUT!" he was almost hyperventilating. Soubi's eyes widened in shock, but he was quick to regain his composure. It wasn't like he was expecting anything less._

"_Ritsuka, I—"_

"_You heard him," started Youji. His expression was more than satisfied, but his eyes still stared at Soubi with unbelievable hatred. "leave. I don't think there's a need for him to repeat himself." Youji stood up without taking his eyes off his new enemy._

"_Na, Youji" Natsuo began, his hands in front of him "no need to get so defensive, Soubi's leaving.."_

_Youji's glared was re-directed towards Natsuo, who wasn't taken back by it._

"_He just wanted to let Ritsuka know that he was going to stay with Kio for a bit."_

"_Ha…"_

_Everyone turned towards the source of the sound. Ritsuka had his arms crossed and was looking away. "Figures you would go with him." His voice broke and he stopped talking._

_Soubi felt the instinctual urge to run to him, to tell him that everything he thinks happened never did. To tell him that he was his whole world; but he resisted the urge, he had heard enough._

"_Hmm, that was fast. For a second there, I thought I was going to go home alone"_

"_Kio, I'm going home"_

_Kio's mouth fell open "Wait, wha-?"_

"_I need to pack some stuff before I head over"_

_Kio smirked; that was more like it. "Sure Sou-chan! I'll be waiting for you!"_

_Soubi grabbed his stuff and headed out._

_/flashback_

"Sensei, the only place let to check is-" Yuiko stopped short of finishing the sentence. _Hospital_ seemed like such a bad word to mention. But they were out of options. Not only were they looking for Soubi and Ritsuka, but now they had a third missing person, Kio.

"…." Hitomi said nothing, she didn't want to scare Yuiko, but she knew that if there was any place left they hadn't checked, it was the hospital. They looked at each other and nodded, then began their way into the hospital.

"Can I help you?"

Hitomi stuttered her way through the words "Is A-ao-aoyagi Rit-suka he-ere?"

The nurse looked away and began typing away in a computer. "Yes" she answered, still looking at the machine "Looks like he's in the Intensive Care unit, room 16"

There was a small gasp that came from Yuiko, who was already tearing up. Hitomi's face went blank for a split second before regaining composure. She placed her hand on Yuiko's shoulder to comfort her. It was her turn to be mature, for Yuiko's sake.

"Come one, Yuiko-chan!" she said with a soft smile on her face.

Yuiko followed her without saying a word while wiping the tears away from her face.

Hitomi walked ahead, bracing herself for what she was about to encounter.

_14….15…..16…._

She placed her hand around the door knob and stood still for a second while she prepared, maybe if she looked through the small glass window on the door…..

She looked back briefly; Yuiko was still walking towards her, her face buried in her hands. Hitomi took a deep breath and gathered the strength to look through the window.

Her heart skipped a beat….she gasped. Her face was full of fear.

_Those are the two guys that hurt Soubi. _

She recalled the first and only time she encountered Youji and Natsuo…back in the park a while ago where they had done serious damage to Soubi. And now they were here with Ritsuka!

But there was no way that Hitomi was going to allow something else to happen to Ritsuka. Without waiting for Yuiko to get there, she stormed in the room, fists held up in a fighting position.

"GET AWAY FROM AOYAGI-SAN!" she screamed, nervous.

The conversation that had been going on between the three suddenly stopped as they turned to look at the cause of the ruckus.

"Ehhh?" Natsuo started. Why was she here?

"Neesan?" Youji questioned, a little confused.

"…Sensei…?" Ritsuka asked.

Both Natsuo and Youji turned to look at Ritsuka….that's right, that was his teacher. They both stood up, prepared to confront the very nervous teacher. At that same moment, Yuiko turned into the room, her eyes wide and full of tears.

"Ritsuka-kun!" she cried as she ran towards the boy, completely ignoring the audience. She went up to his bed and gave him a huge, wet hug. Ritsuka blinked from the pain but didn't say anything, Yuiko was crying uncontrollably.

"Yuiko…I'm fine….don't cry…"

"R-ritsuka-kuuun! I was s-s-so worr—ied!" she managed to say through her sobs.

Hitomi, lowered her hands, she looked towards the two boys and then back at Ritsuka. If Ritsuka was so calm, then there was nothing to worry about.

As soon as Yuiko calmed down a bit, Ritsuka began to talk.

"Thank you for coming to visit, I didn't want to worry you. These two are Natsuo, and Youji" he said as he pointed to each of them.

"Ehh? We already met" Youji smiled as he remembered the encounter.

"Hm!" Hitomi started "I don't know how you can be friends with such rude people Ritsuka-kun" she said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Ehh?" both Youji and Natsuo began complaining.

As the three of them began their little rant, Ritsuka looked away, concentrating. He had a hard time believing that Soubi was actually going to stay with Kio….

_Kio…._

/

"Well then, please make sure you get plenty of rest Aoyagi-san"

Ritsuka smiled at the nurse. "hai"

Youji and Natsuo helped him out. Ritsuka needed to go home and gather all his stuff…he was weary…that meant that it was time to go home….time to face his mom.

-/-/-

Hey guys! So, for those who read my profile, I'm back! :D Please, please, pleaaaaaaaaase RXR! It is very important for me to receive the RXR so I can go onto the next chapter, which has already been started ;). Thank you guys for reading, and hope you enjoyed!


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